TLC Recalls J. Cole Reaching Out for Crooked I Duet

Back in 2013, J. Cole enlisted the vocal talents of TLC for one of his biggest hits, “Crooked Smile.” Now, members Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas are recalling how their collaboration came together.

“He reached out to us and he wanted to work with TLC and when we heard the song,” Chili explained to VladTV while promoting their Kickstarter campaign. “We definitely wanted to be apart of it, because the lyrical content was amazing — almost like another version of ‘Unpretty,’ it was a great fit.”

T-Boz adds of J. Cole, “He’s a very talented producer and rapper.” Both singers revealed that they enjoyed his latest album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. “Every song is talking about something relevant,” says Chili of Cole’s new material. “Pretty much every song on his alum was amazing.”